367
Jean Prouvé
Panel, from the Institut de l'Environnement, Paris
- Estimate
- £7,000 - 9,000‡
£11,250
Lot Details
Painted aluminum, steel, glass, rubber.
1968
268 x 177.8 x 5.7 cm (105 ½ x 70 x 2 ¼ in.)
Interior of frame with red plastic button printed with 181/PLASTIQUES/DE/FRANCE/MARSEILLE.
Specialist
Full-Cataloguing
Catalogue Essay
The Institut de l'Environnement was built in 1968, one of the busiest years of Jean Prouvé's late career. Founded by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs, the building was designed as a space for professionals from multiple disciplines to pursue their work in service to the environment. The building was later occupied by an organisation perhaps more familiar to students of design history: the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs.
The present model will be exhibited at the forthcoming 'Architecture Biennale', Venice, 7 June-23 November 2014.
The present model will be exhibited at the forthcoming 'Architecture Biennale', Venice, 7 June-23 November 2014.
Provenance
Literature
Jean Prouvé
French | B. 1901 D. 1984Jean Prouvé believed in design as a vehicle for improvement. His manufactory Les Ateliers Jean Prouvé, located in Nancy, France, produced furniture for schools, factories and municipal projects, both within France and in locations as far flung as the Congo. Though he designed for the masses, pieces such as his "Potence" lamps and "Standard" chairs are among the most iconic fixtures in sophisticated, high-design interiors today. Collectors connect with his utilitarian, austere designs that strip materials down to the bare minimum without compromising on proportion or style.
Prouvé grew up in Nancy, France, the son of Victor Prouvé, an artist and co-founder of the École de Nancy, and Marie Duhamel, a pianist. He apprenticed to master blacksmiths in Paris and opened a small wrought iron forge in Nancy. However it was sheet steel that ultimately captured Prouvé's imagination, and he ingeniously adapted it to furniture, lighting and even pre-fabricated houses, often collaborating with other design luminaries of the period, such as Robert Mallet-Stevens, Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand.
Browse ArtistProuvé grew up in Nancy, France, the son of Victor Prouvé, an artist and co-founder of the École de Nancy, and Marie Duhamel, a pianist. He apprenticed to master blacksmiths in Paris and opened a small wrought iron forge in Nancy. However it was sheet steel that ultimately captured Prouvé's imagination, and he ingeniously adapted it to furniture, lighting and even pre-fabricated houses, often collaborating with other design luminaries of the period, such as Robert Mallet-Stevens, Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand.